Salvaging the Soul
by sassafrasss
Summary: After isolating them, Ty Lee tries to slowly nurse Azula back to sanity, and then clarity. Slow fic, eventual Tyzula.
1. Rain

"_Run your fingers through my soul. For once, just once, feel exactly what I feel, believe what I believe, perceive as I perceive, look, experience, examine, and for once; just once, understand.__"_

"You can't!" She screamed, chest heaving, arms spread out straight, barring the entrance, "You _can't!_"

Confusion flooding his body, Zuko stared at Ty Lee through the downpour. Water drained off his hood, waxed on the outside to repel the droplets, but it seemed impossible to avoid moisture when the sea seemed to fall from the sky, and the inside of his cloak was damp and scratchy.

Behind the Fire Lord was a large wooden cart, pulled by two ostrich-horse's. Unable to use the usual lizard type steed due to the cold rain, the going had been slow because the bird pack animals had less effective gripping power on the thickly muddy road.

Zuko's own boots were sunk inches into the mud, and his pant legs were spattered in mud. Ty Lee looked much worse, though, as she wore her usual light-weighht pink summer outfit, including her slipper-like shoes. The layers of fabric were soaked through and spattered in mud, her shoes invisible in the muck and her hair clung to face.

Rain flew of her nose as she breathed heavily. It occurred to Zuko that she must have run all the way to beat him to the gates of the sanitarium.

The brick building loomed behind Ty Lee, dark and imposing. The more he looked at it, the more it felt like a prison instead of a hospital, so he focused on Ty Lee instead.

The metal box strapped to the cart behind Zuko was silent, but he knew that Azula lay within, drugged and curled on the metal floor. Cold, maybe, but not wet. The guards next to the cart were sending looks to each other, wondering what to do about an obstacle to their mission that was a friend of the Fire Lords.

Regarding her with the golden eye of royalty, Zuko called back to her, "Ty Lee, this is what's best for her."

_This is what's best for her._ He repeated to himself.

Zuko had decided to lead the cart himself, just in case something happened with his guards and Azula. Or maybe it was so he could see it through, or so he could tell himself he had done his best. He wasn't quite sure.

Whatever the reason, Ty Lee clearly disagreed.

"No!" She cried again, her feet twisting in the mud and her fingers stretching outwards, as if trying to cover the whole entrance, "It's not!"

Zuko's face twisted into anger, his scar stretching awkwardly. "Look at what you're doing, Ty Lee! Mai told me what she ordered done to the both of you!" He shouted back in frustration, "Look at what she did to you!"

Ty Lee didn't have to look, because the skin on her back always felt awkward from the burns. Her face scrunched in sadness, and tears pooled between her lids and overflowed down her cheeks, only to be lost in the rain. Her arms lowered a fraction of an inch, but it was enough to fuel Zuko's fire.

"Does a friend do that, Ty Lee? Do they hurt their friends?" He took a few steps forward in the mud as he spoke, "How can you try to stop me from bringing her here when you know it's more than she deserves?"

"Because it's not right!" She cried back, "Friends do hurt friends! They just don't mean it! She just—"

"She just what, Ty Lee? She just needs a chance to apologize?" Zuko laughed bitterly, "What's right has never been her concern, and in this situation, I have this to be her best option…"

Weak and cold from her run and overwhelming emotion, Ty Lee dropped to her knees in the mud, her arms wrapping around her shoulders. From where he was standing, Zuko could see her shoulders jerk as sobs wracked her body.

"There's another way!" She responded weakly, her voice thick with emotion, "There's another way…"

Zuko scoffed, his face a picture of disgust. "And what is it, Ty Lee? What on earth else could we do?"

For a few long seconds, Ty Lee shook and sniffled in the mud, watching the rain plough into the dirt. Finally, she looked up, her eyes red and tired.

"Give her to me."

* * *

**A/N: Okay, I confess it… I like this pairing… a lot. Have a sort of introspective fic, cause I like those the best. **

**Warning: Do not expect regular, on time, or rapid updates.**


	2. Open the Door

Noble gold eyes oversaw the loading of the _Traziad_, the Fire Nation's notably fastest ship, with a sort of caution haunting the back of their retinas. However, the golden eyes were bloodshot and accented with dark half-circles on the bottom lids, and the usual sharp attentiveness had been dulled by sleeplessness.

Zuko blinked, his eyes watering in exhaustion, but he didn't wipe them. Instead, he kept his eyes trained on the heavy silver box being hoisted onto the ship deck with large pulleys and heavy ropes. The heavily muscled men pulling the ropes did their best to set the box on the deck as gently as possible, taking much more care than they would any other type of cargo. Considering what it contained, Zuko found their caution justified. As the hunter of the plains of Earth Kingdom would say, "Take care not to wake the sleeping serpent-lion."

Using multiple ropes, the men strapped the box to the deck, and then threw a tarp over it, creating a sort of tent to block any rain on the voyage. Then, a man in a strangely decorated suit coat lit a small ball of some sort, and gently dropped it into one of the two slots on one side of the box. Soon, a bit of smoke seeped through the slots, and Zuko sighed in relief. His sister was secure on board, and the sleep-inducing drugs were in place.

"Do you think that stuff does anything to her permanently?" asked a quiet voice beside him.

He didn't jump, but Zuko was a little bit perturbed that he had not sensed Ty Lee's appearance beside himself earlier. Just like him, her hands grasped the railing of the overseers deck until her knuckles were white.

"I don't know." He responded distantly, before looking back to the box, "I will accompany you to your destination. Mai is watching over the Fire Nation whilst I am gone." Zuko turned towards her, his eyes catching hers and holding, "For your country, Ty Lee, I have to ask you to stay below deck throughout the trip. If you knew how to get there or back and something happened on the island, Azula could—"

The acrobat, uncannily serious, raised her hand with the grace of the noble he knew she was but had never seen. He stopped speaking instantly, but chided himself in his head for bending to her command. He was the Fire Lord, and Fire Lord's did not stop for this kind of noble!

"I understand your concern, Zuko," The young Lord's brows lowered as he recognized the dismissive tone he used with particularly annoying political subordinates, "But I doubt Azula would, or could, do such a thing. Despite my opinion, I will fulfill your request."

The firebender nodded once curtly, before he turned towards the stairs. "We should board the ship. I will give you more information on your destination when we arrive."

With that, Zuko stalked down the stairs and towards the ship, his robes fluttering and snapping in the wind. After a moment of staring at the ship, Ty Lee followed in suit.

* * *

The voyage was three days, and Ty Lee was anxious to be released back from the belly of the ship after one day below decks. Though she could roam all of the _Traziad_'s rooms, Ty Lee chose to stick mostly to her own room and the galley kitchen, which she visited occasionally.

The crew found her friendly in casual conversation, but fleeting. She never stayed in one place long before retreating back to her tiny room. Ty Lee did her best to stay calm on the ship by doing some of the deeper stretches and flexes she knew, but rarely had the time to do, and reading some Air Nomad Poetry. The book, old and small, was fragile and had been a gift from the Avatar himself. He had once recited a line to her, and when she expressed interest, he had given her the book. Air Nomad literature was rare and Ty Lee was flattered by the gift. Aang seemed to think that it was no big deal, but had graciously accepted her enthusiastic hug.

The book, spine loose enough to allow the book to lie flat, was open and on the floor before the acrobat as Ty Lee did a handstand. Then, with the control of a practiced contortionist, Ty Lee's spine smoothly bent backwards, her legs folding downwards with control, allowing her toes to touch her shoulders.

It was in this position, her back and legs curled like an O suspended in air by her arms, did a small knock echo on the skinny door. As Ty Lee released her held breath, she called towards the door, "Come in."

As the Fire Lord entered, he raised his eyebrows. He was always amazed by Ty Lee's ability to bend in such ways, but he had never seen this exact position.

"I… can return later if I'm interrupting you..?" He questioned, staring in bewilderment.

The acrobat looked up from the book. "No no!" Ty Lee assured, "I'm just doing some of my more deep stretches. I have to hold it for a bit, just take a seat on the bed." Then she closed her eyes and took a long breath.

Zuko shuffled into the room and tiptoed around Ty Lee. Then, he carefully selected a spot on the bed that wasn't covered by crumpled blankets, and sat down.

"So, I just wanted to talk to you about all of this, Ty Lee," He began, his eyes on the ground, "And I wanted to tell you why I decided to let you do this."

Ty Lee made a small noise of acknowledgement before she slowly lowered herself to the ground and uncurled her back until she lay flush on the worn wood. After a breath, Ty Lee opened her eyes and stood up before taking a spot next to Zuko.

When she finally looked at him, it struck her that he wasn't in his ceremonial Fire Lord robes or attire. Instead, he wore something old, but familiar. Back on the beach during the war, Zuko had worn casual Fire Nation clothes, which is what he wore now. His hair, which was often tied up in a small knot now, was down and low around his face. When her soft grey eyes searched his face, she found dark smudges beneath his eyes and his lips were bent in a slight frown.

It was then Ty Lee realized that Zuko, for the first time in a long time, looked like Zuko before her, instead of the Fire Lord. It was then she remembered that he wasn't much older than she, and it was that thought that made her feel rather sorry for him. Zuko was a Fire Lord, and Fire Lord's were already under an enormous amount of pressure, all the time. At the same time, Zuko had to be the first respectable Fire lord in a century. More than respectable, he had to exceed the expectations of the Other Nations just to prove his worth. He had all that, and he couldn't have been over 25.

In fact, Zuko had been under stress long before he began to actively participate in the war. In a way, it was like he never was a child at all.

In a way, none of the major players in the last year of the War were. Suddenly, Ty Lee wondered just how the others were doing.

"We will arrive at an island, just out of sight of any other land, and my men will go and prepare your place of residence. I have brought along an earthbender to construct you a small house, and I have loaded some furnishings. On the east end of the island, there is a large pile of rocks that form a sort of alcove. When the tide is lowest, on the New Moon of each month at night, a ship will drop off food and supplies for you both." Zuko took a moment to scratch the back of his head, "On the west end are a small amount of rare red flowers. If you leave one within the alcove the night before the supplies are dropped off, I will return."

"Alright." Ty Lee replied smoothly, "Anything else?"

Zuko's hand suddenly scrunched into the front of his hair, and he leaned into it with a heavy sigh. His eyes closed and squeezed.

"Gods, Ty Lee, I don't know how you convinced me to leave you alone on an island with…" he struggled with the right words, "..her. Mai will maim me when she hears of this, you know? And if you get hurt, Ty Lee, if she hurts you—"

"She won't." Ty Lee chimed softly, "And Mai will understand." Ty Lee turned and smiled at Zuko a bit, "She always has."

Zuko laughed a little at what he mistook as naivety, and then they sank into silence for a bit.

When it was broken, it was broken by a broken voice, "Why did you agree to this, Zuko?"

The acrobat watched him take a slow breath before answering.

"Honestly, Ty Lee, I don't know for sure." He said, his voice saturated in exhaustion, "Maybe because… Because I think that if anyone can bring her back and change her, it's you, Ty Lee."

Ty Lee's eyes strayed towards the Air Nomad book.

"I don't think a person can change anyone." She murmured back to Zuko, "I think a person has to want to change all on their own." Zuko stared at her, surprised at her depth. "That's all I can hope for Azula, and all I can do is try and help her along the way."

Zuko slowly nodded, and then stood. "I'll see you on the deck tomorrow, then." He said as a farewell, and he moved towards the door.

He halted when a hand caught his. Zuko turned and looked at Ty Lee, who's eyes were wide now, staring straight into his own.

"She's not a monster, you know, she's just…hurt." The circus star licked her lips in thought, "Just like the rest of us. She just needs the chance to heal like the rest of did."

Zuko stared for a moment.

"I know," He murmured back.

Ty Lee loosened her fingers with a nod and released his hand. Zuko turned and stepped out the door.

* * *

When land was sighted the next day, the whole ship awoke in a flurry. The island, small enough to cross in a five minute sprint, was roughly circular, the east and west ends more distant from each other than the north and south. The south end was made of mostly tall cliffs, while the west and north end coast was made of large boulders. Only the eastern side had a nice beach due some boulders from the north extending in the water and protecting the sandy beach from harsh waves.

When Zuko stepped on deck, the crew was just lowering the first row boat after anchoring and the earthbender and building crew were just about to get in. Now, as he watched, he could see the boat nudge into the sand and the group make their way up the gentle hill.

From the beach, the sand gave way to wispy grass and then to a tall, grassy meadow. Towards the middle end of the island, the grass grew into a thick forest with fruit trees, much like the foliage in the undeveloped parts of the rest of the Fire Nation.

A good hundred yards from the beach, the group stopped, and the earthbender struck his pose to begin raising the small house.

The Fire Lord turned his head back to the rest of the boat. The crew was now lowering other boats into the water and loading the meager furniture and supplies. Zuko tried not to brood over his decision, but he failed. In the end, the only thing he could tell himself for sure was that he wasn't doing this just to get rid of Azula.

But he began to question that too.

In the next hour or two, Zuko paced the deck of the ship, barely noticing that he gravitated between the door to the lower deck and the silver box where his sister lie.

Finally, one of his men returned to the ship with the earthbender, informing him that the house was ready.

The young firebender nodded, and gestured to the strangely dressed man with the sleep-inducing smoke balls. He shuffled close to the box and lit one, lifting his arm to put it in the slit in the metal.

A slender hand caught his wrist.

"_Don't,_" Warned an edged voice.

The man turned his head to meet eyes with Ty Lee. Her eyes were framed by thunderous brows, and the iris was like chipped grey ice. With her free hand, she plucked the small smoking ball from his hand and tossed it behind her shoulder, over the railing, and into the sea.

Zuko's eyes narrowed and his frown deepened. Ty Lee hadn't shown up on the upper deck until the most inconveniencing moment.

The acrobat released the old man's hand and turned towards Zuko. Before he could open his mouth, she spoke to him.

"Open the door, Zuko," She gestured to the metal door on the side of the box, now exposed since the tarp was removed.

He thought about rejecting her request, getting angry, and seizing control with an iron fist to show her just who was Fire Lord, but hadn't he done just about enough of that?

Instead, Zuko shook his head, shaggy hair floating for a moment, before he dug the key from his pocket and advanced.

When he opened the door, Ty Lee bit back a hiss.

Lying before her was a body on a dirty metal floor. Azula was lying on her side, halfway curled to fit into the box. Her clothes were soiled, and the remnants of smoke balls were scattered around her. Though her legs where covered, Ty Lee could clearly see the bones of her hands and arms, and though her cheek bones had always been prominent, they now jutted from her face. Her hair was messy, strewn across her face and the dirty floor. It had a sickly dull sheen.

Ty Lee threw Zuko, who stood at the door, a nasty glance. He winced and trained his eyes on the floor in embarrassment. How did he let it come to this?

The crew outside had taken a step back in fear, knowing of the former Princesses exploits. The contortionist, however, was unafraid as she stepped into the box, brushing the hair back from her friend's face.

To her surprise, Azula's eyelids cracked a little; dull gold iris' visible between the slits.

"Ty Lee…?" Azula's voice was weak as it whispered past her cracked lips, and Ty Lee felt like crying.

Instead, Ty Lee smiled warmly at her friend, and shushed her quietly. Azula's eyes shut once more, and Ty Lee slipped her arms under the girls' shoulders and legs. Then, she rose, picking up the surprisingly light Azula, and walked out of the box and into the sunlight. For a moment, Ty Lee wondered how they fed her if she was constantly sedated. She concluded that the answer was 'not very well'.

Zuko swallowed as he saw Azula in the light, and gestured Ty Lee towards the boat. He didn't join her in the boat, and one burly man was courageous enough after seeing Azula's weak body to row the two girls to shore.

As the boat bobbed in the waves, Ty Lee cradled her fragile friend to her chest so her head didn't loll with the waves. Only once, when she stepped onto the sand and the man pushed off with the boat, did Ty Lee look back to the ship. From the beach she could see Zuko at the railing, staring at her pink-clad back and his baby sister. She couldn't make out his face, but damn she hoped it was stricken.

Then, she turned back towards the house and began walking up the gentle hill.


	3. Coming up for Air

**A/N: Thanks for all the encouraging words**

**Keep in mind, I update slow, this story will be slow. I hate rushed Tyzula.

* * *

**

When Ty Lee entered the small house on the island, she immediately noticed the change of temperature. The stone walls radiated a cool temperature. In the Fire Nation's blistering heat, this was usually a good thing, but Ty Lee had been startled by the cold and clammy feel to Azula's skin.

In all her life, Ty Lee had never known a Firebender to be cold. Even stranger, Ty Lee hadn't thought it possible for Azula to be cold.

Striding over to the bed with determination, Ty Lee laid Azula down with the care of a dedicated doctor. The Acrobat then covered her with the quilt before turning to the empty fireplace. The soldiers had at least had the decency to give her a few logs from the ship's store. She stacked them in the hearth and retrieved the flint and tinder from the mantle. After using some paper left in her pocket for kindling, Ty Lee quickly had the fire started, but not roaring.

Then, Ty Lee turned and pulled the wooden bed frame much closer to the fire place. Still unsatisfied, she snapped the quilt off the other small bed and warmed it over the small fire until it was becoming hard to hold. Then, she removed the quilt that Azula was under and replaced it with the heated one. She repeated the process with the other quilt, laying the newly warmed blanket atop the first.

Ty Lee moved to the other side of the bed and, after a moment of staring and hesitation, climbed in under the quilts with Azula. She quickly scooted flush against Azula's body in an attempt to give her some of her own body heat.

The normally jubilant girl suspected that the drugs and cold metal floor of her box had begun to suppress the natural warmth of Azula's bending. Ty Lee didn't know much about Firebenders specifically, but she could guess that being cold was a serious medical condition.

For the sake of her health, Ty Lee decided that Azula, if awake and lucid, would allow this humiliation to occur, just this once. She skimmed over the fact she would never have gotten away with this if she had been awake and lucid.

For a bit, Ty Lee barely breathed, just to make sure that the air was evenly coming in and out of Azula's nose. Finally, Ty Lee let her head fall onto the pillow, her chin just above Azula's shoulder. Faster than expected, her eyelids fluttered shut and she sank into sleep.

* * *

When she awoke, it was dark. Ty Lee's eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light cast by the dying embers in the fire place.

Before moving, she took note that Azula's had risen from before, and she hadn't moved except for her constant soft breathing. Ty Lee then slipped carefully out from the quilts. She added another log to the fire, and stirred the embers, inspiring a bright flame that illuminated the one room house.

When she turned around, the new light forced Ty Lee to really look at the place Zuko had given her. It was rather long, but not strangely so. Directly to the right of the door way was a small table with only two chairs. Beyond that was the fire place and narrow counter top. Cupboards were fixated above the counter, and the opposite wall had had two beds, each big enough for one—maybe two—comfortably. The bed closest to the far end of the house was still against the wall, the other was the one Azula slept upon.

The whole house held a scent of earth and grass and fire. Everything was thick beige color, saturated stripes of orange rippling through the walls where the earth had compressed and changed and layered.

After some more observation, Ty Lee decided that she liked the house. Then, she set about the necessary. She quickly indentified that she would need to go collect more firewood from the nearby woods, and some hasty searching in the blinding dark lead her to the latrine in the far back of the house. After relieving herself, she dug through the cupboards and found the water pitcher. Ty Lee collected some water out from the spring near the beach, and when she sipped it, she gasped at how cold it was. Her last chore was to unpack the food supplies.

When it was all done, the crescent moon was tipping towards the western sky, and Ty Lee was tired once more. The acrobat sat on the edge of Azula's bed and gazed at her in worry. She guessed that the drugs she was on would last for about another day or so, but she wasn't sure. Ty Lee was worried. The concept of her friend never waking up was something Ty Lee pushed far out of her mind.

Finally, she climbed under the covers and pressed her body against Azula's once more.

* * *

Azula's tongue was thick and dry in her mouth when her dull gold eyes first cracked. She stared upwards through heavy eyelids at a beige color for a moment before she tried to talk and groaned with the effort.

Something disrupted the field of beige, but it was fuzzy and muddled like her thoughts.

"Azula…" She could hear her name spoken softly.

Azula groaned shortly, her lips feeling unresponsive.

"Don't try to talk," She heard that voice again, "Here, I'm going to give you some water."

Something touched her lips and Azula couldn't find the panic to flinch. Instead, she let the thing on her lips dribble lukewarm water onto her tongue. It felt immediately better, and she coughed a bit as she tried to remember how to swallow liquid.

When the nozzle of…something… left her lips, Azula took a long and shaky breath, as though her throat had never felt air. Her eyes closed once more, and she succumbed back into the darkness.

* * *

The next week went much like the same, though Azula had no grasp of time. She drifted in and out of sleep. Sometimes the beige was lighter than usual; sometimes she couldn't see it at all against the dark. Every time she awoke, though, the voice was there again to give her water. Sometime later, on the third day, the voice gave her a warm broth and she sputtered at first from the change. The voice hummed a soothing lullaby and whipped the broth from her chin, before giving her more when she was ready.

Once, Azula woke and felt a pressing heat against the left side of her body and she heard a soft snore in her left ear. There was no one there to give her broth or water that time, but Azula didn't mind. She wasn't thirsty anyways.

On the seventh day, Azula realized it was Ty Lee's voice. After she drank some more broth, Azula tried to open her eyes a little bit wider to see her, but everything was still blurry.

"Ty Lee..?" She asked, the first thing she had said since arriving at the house.

Her voice was hoarse and scratchy, and she could hear a surprised breath from her friend.

"I'm right here Azula." She said with cheer.

The princess blinked, and she came into focus just a little bit more. The nozzle touched her chapped lips again, and Ty Lee's soft voice rang to her, "Drink a bit more and then go back to sleep, you need your rest."

Energy exhausted, Azula agreed on some level, and she submitted to Ty Lee's command.

* * *

The next time Azula awoke, she was able to ask a question and drink more than a mouthful of broth before she fell back asleep.

"What's happened?" She croaked out.

"The gas you were subdued with has had a larger effect on your senses than I thought. You've been getting better, though, so I don't think it's permanent." Ty Lee responded, sounding uncharacteristically grim and business-like.

Before she succumbed to the darkness, Azula could recall the first time she saw the round little smoke bomb dropped into her cell beneath the palace. She had screamed and fought to get it out, but they had closed the hatch on the front of the steel door and she just couldn't hold her breath long enough.

That night, Ty Lee watched as Azula twitched and muttered in her sleep. Dreaming of unknown memories, perhaps.

Ty Lee decided not to answer any more questions.

* * *

A few days later, Ty Lee was able to prop Azula up on some pillows for five minutes and spoon feed her a bowl of soup, this time with elements that had to be chewed. Azula chewed in quiet protest to being fed, but raised no verbal complaint, knowing she would be unable to feed herself.

Ty Lee was successful in masking her amusement in response to Azula's blushing pout and stormy look. In a moment of sadism, Ty Lee thought that a heavy dose of humility would be good for Azula.

The five minutes seemed to drain Azula's energy once more, and she fell back into a fitful sleep.

* * *

That night, Azula woke up gasping, eyes wide and finally focused on the ceiling. She observed that it was made of stone.

Her nightmares unnerved her, and she was hard-pressed to distinguish between what had happened and what her mind was fabricating.

There was a stirring in the constant heat to her left, away from the dying embers of the fire. Ty Lee's breath caressed the Firebenders ear when she muttered in her sleep.

Azula felt awkward as Ty Lee's arm tightened over the Princess's thin abdomen, but she decided to let it go.

After all, Ty Lee's body heat was a welcome gift. It lulled Azula back to sleep.

* * *

A few more days passed and Azula could finally hold a bowl and feed herself. Her eyes had also returned to their perfect vision. Ty Lee would sit on the edge of Azula's bed and eat the soup with her. She had noticed with interest that Azula's appetite was becoming more and more voracious, and that she would need to put more meat and vegetables in the soup. Perhaps thicken the broth, too.

So far, there had been one supply drop off. Ty Lee was pleased to see that Zuko had taken her quest seriously, and sent her very fresh supplies, including herbal supplements known to help the weak recover.

Azula began to stay awake longer and longer, but she never asked Ty Lee any questions other than what they were eating that day. Ty Lee appreciated her cooperation, if temporary, and often struck up menial conversation regarding how she was feeling. She did her best to never mention anything before their arrival on the island, for fear of making Azula's nightmares worse.

Azula spoke to Ty Lee in short syllables with a neutral tone. Mostly, she watched and observed. Ty Lee looked older than the last time she had seen her.

It suddenly occurred to Azula that she didn't remember when she had last seen Ty Lee, just that she looked older.

Her observation begged the questions, _What happened?_ And, _How long have I been sleeping?_

_

* * *

_

When one of Azula's nightmares finally woke Ty Lee up, she knew she that it was her last night sleeping in Azula's bed.

Her grey eyes had fluttered open and she had raised her head, mumbling something in her groggy state.

Ty Lee was jolted awake when her eyes met and locked with Azula's gold ones, wide and panicked.

Before she had thought about whom it was she was dealing with, Ty Lee was humming a lullaby and cradling Azula's shoulders until she fell back asleep.

In a rare moment of weakness, Azula had raised her left hand and clutched Ty Lee's sleeve with as much strength as her bony hands could muster.

Ty Lee dozed back into sleep that night with Azula clutched close to her body.

* * *

When Ty Lee awoke in the morning, she tried to untangle herself and get up without waking Azula up, but she failed while removing Azula's hand from her sleeve.

They were both motionless for a moment, staring at each other as red came to Azula's face and the color drained from Ty Lee's. Then, Azula averted her gaze in embarrassment and released Ty Lee's sleeve.

Ty Lee slipped out from the covers and set about stirring the fire and warming the soup.

Neither of them spoke about it, and Azula let the silence run until Ty Lee handed her a bowl and asked her how she was feeling.

* * *

That night, Ty Lee slipped into her own bed back against the wall, away from the fire. She faced the wall and had trouble sleeping, feeling too cold.

Azula also felt too cold, but she didn't let herself admit that it was because Ty Lee wasn't warming her side.

* * *

When morning came, Ty Lee was surprised to see Azula sitting up cross-legged, facing the dying embers of the fire. She knew that the pose of one where fire reacted to the bender, but the embers did nothing in response to Azula's heavy breathing.

"Good morning!" Ty Lee exclaimed with a smile. It was a welcome surprise to see Azula acting more… Azula-like.

The Fire Princess' lids cracked and her golden eyes refocused on Ty Lee.

"Ty Lee," she started, "We need to talk."

Ty Lee didn't miss a beat as she stood from bed and stretched one of her legs up and towards the ceiling. "Alright, before or after breakfast?" She asked with a grin.

Azula didn't miss a beat either. She returned Ty Lee's grin with a wicked smile that promised hundreds and delivered millions.

"Why not during?"


End file.
